Reading Eagle: Tim Leedy | Tents offered shelter from the rain for those attending the viewing Sunday in West Reading for Delaney "Laney" Brown, 8, who died of leukemia on Christmas morning after touching many lives.

Reading Eagle: Tim Leedy | Christi Kuprij-Brown, left, and Kelly Lint set up a tent and distributed heart cutouts to be used for messages of comfort for the family.

Courtesy Brown family | Delaney "Laney" Brown

Reading Eagle: Susan Keen | The public was invited to attend and was asked to wear bright colors.

Reading Eagle: Susan Keen | A prayer for Laney written on the back of a man's shirt.

Reading Eagle: Susan Keen | A colorful umbrella keeps a little girl dry as she gets in line for the viewing.

Public lines up to pay respects to Laney Brown

Monday December 30, 2013 12:01 AM

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Most people who came out to Delaney "Laney" Brown's viewing on Sunday had never met the little girl.

But many of those who followed her story said they felt like they had.

So on a cold and rainy day, they paid their respects to the little girl whose battle with cancer shook Berks County residents to the core this holiday season.

More than 1,000 people attended the viewing at Kuhn Funeral Home in West Reading.

"Today's about Laney and it's about the impact she had on a community and the incredible love of her family and her indomitable spirit, and her fight till the end," said Chris Winters, a spokesman for Relay for Life and the Brown family. "Today's a recognition of what she brought to the world."

People came and went from the funeral home by the dozens, donning shades of bright pink and orange and green, a stark contrast to the gray and gloomy weather.

Laney's parents, Jennifer and Jeremiah Brown, requested that those attending the viewing wear bright colors in honor of the girl's fashionista style.

Laney, a second-grader at Wyomissing Hills Elementary School, lost her battle with leukemia on Christmas morning. She was diagnosed with cancer in May and received five rounds of radiation therapy and a stem-cell transplant in September.

Spreading the word

The 8-year-old's story went viral after Jennifer Brown informed Team Laney Facebook page followers on Dec. 17 that her daughter was given only days or weeks to live.

Thousands shared Laney's story on social media. Nearly 10,000 people stood outside the Browns' home on Dec. 21 to sing Christmas carols to Laney. The Team Laney page on Facebook now has more than 146,000 "likes."

Christi Kuprij-Brown, 45, of Reading said Laney's story inspired her to get involved in raising cancer awareness.

"Now it's time for me to do something," she said. "This has really made me aware I need to do more in my community."

She and Kelly Lint, 44, of Kenhorst set up a tent outside the funeral home where attendees could write messages to the family. The women, who had never met Laney or her family, cut out 8,000 small, red paper hearts for the notes to be written on.

A line of people snaked onto the sidewalk outside the tent, rain spattering onto their umbrellas as they waited to write a few kind words to the Browns. Most remained quiet, heads bowed or looking at posters filled with photographs of Laney.

"Hopefully they'll be able to read (the notes) and reflect on how many people she touched," Kuprij-Brown said.

Penn State Berks students who sponsored Laney through THON, an annual dance marathon that raises money to fight childhood cancer, huddled together outside the viewing. They've been a noticeable presence at events for Laney.

Mitzi Munoz, 40, of Reading said she's been following Laney's story for the past two months on the Team Laney Facebook page. Wearing a hoodie emblazoned with hot pink for the viewing, her eyes filled with tears as she spoke of the impact the little girl had on her.

"Laney just touched my heart so much. It's hard to explain," she said. "I don't know if I met her in a store or saw her outside her house one day while she was playing, but she inspired me."